PBDZ4: Doomy thrash metal - heads will bang - 85%

Fuck it. Let’s revisit the good old 1989 with Korrozia’s second proper album titled “Russian Vodka”. This is a real kick in the face and is actually an interesting album musically as it incorporates a few eastern folk melodies into the trash/death metal way before Nokturnal Mortum or Amorphis tried it with Black Metal. The album is basically a faithful followup to “Order Of Satan” from the year prior but with slightly better production, which on this disk is reaching for world-class. Whilst sounding a familiar mix of death and thrash metal, this band retains the few things that make it unique – all the texts are in Russian and the singer Borov’s roaring vocals. Overall it sounds like something of a cross between Slayer, Possessed and Venom with gruff, echoing vocals foreboding the coming second wave of Black Metal just that little bit to make one think – what if?

The versions on this disk are much faster than what I’ve heard elsewhere – such as “Vampire’s Tank” which (are you laughing at the name yet?) appears on “Debosh v Orlyonke” and on the live DVD on the compilation album titled the same as this one, as well as the opening track “Eat Alive” beginning with a fully-fledged blast beat (unfortunately no folk ensemble in this version – that would have ruled). There are a few uncommon numbers here, all a part of Korrozia repertoire from time to time, just uncommon in the live recordings the band has published – “Black Ship”, “K.K.K.” and the oddly titled “Fifteen People Over a Chest with a Corpse (in it)”. The album slows down here to the doomy, tenebrous tones akin to “Phantom” – the star track from the first album. This pace doesn’t do much good for a live favourite “Crazy House”, which sounds a bit boring at downtempo. Live and faster, it’s a great track. Oddly the disk ends with 2 instrumentals “Descent into the Maelstrom” (no relation to Radio Birdman) and “Noizz” which sound vaguely Scorpionesque and form a part of the band’s earlier repertoire. Overall the album is a fair slab of doomy speed metal with liberal dose of gallows humour. The ridiculous horror lyrics in Russian really contribute to the atmosphere, but if you’re into catchy thrash and beastly vocals, I think you’ll be able to get into this anyway. Your head will bang, I promise you that.